Despite our mini winter holiday, I still went back home with my parents. Back in Fangxian I met my cousin Lu. Both of us were excited. It was a whole year since we had last got together. 

Now Lu is going to start Grade 9 while I am about to graduate from high school. Because my uncle and aunt have been working in Anhui, she has to attend school in that province, where lessons differ in some ways from those here in Hubei. The variations in curricula, however, do not change in any way the fact that both Lu and I are fed enormous amounts of homework, day in day out.

Lu was an outgoing girl when she was younger. With a sunny character, she could bring joy to everyone around. In contrast, the girl is very quiet now. It occurs to me that Lu is not the Lu any more. Back in Anhui, her mother arranges for her to attend a variety of extracurricular programs, such as maths, dancing and singing. At a Spring Festival family reunion, her mother admonished the daughter gently, “You should try your best to study. You should follow your cousin’s example.” I noticed that my aunt had used the word “should” twice. Therefore, I felt awful.

Yes, I can relate very well to Lu, because when I was her age, I was reminded by my mother time and time again to model myself after another cousin.

My cousin will have to be swotting for four years before she enters uni. My high school ordeal will come to an end in a couple of months. By then, I won’t have to worry like hell about tests or grades any more. Meanwhile, I keep my fingers crossed for Cousin Lu, who hopefully will be resilient enough to survive the inevitable fierce battles that are coming her way in high school. After all, every Chinese teenager is subjected to the gruelling 3 years. None is immune to the pain.